B&Q plan closure of a second store

A hardware company has announced that it will close another of its stores in the coming months, putting jobs at risk.

The B&Q store on Old Mill Industrial Estate in Mansfield Woodhouse has been earmarked to shut as part of shake-up of the retail giant’s ‘store network’ in the county.

It has not been conformed how many are employed at the store.

The company says it is now trying to find roles for the staff at other stores if they wish, or offer them the opportunity to apply for voluntary redundancy.

It is understood that the staff were made aware as far back as October last year, months after the company announced plans to close stores across the country.

The staff will find out about their future in the coming weeks.

It means there will soon only be one store left in the region - on Sutton’s Mansfield Road.

There are also stores in Eastwood and Chesterfield.

A spokesperson for B&Q said: “We are changing the shape of our store network in Nottinghamshire and investing to ensure we meet the needs of our customers in the district and the surrounding area by offering the best in home improvement.

“As part of these changes, our staff at B&Q on the Old Mill Lane Industrial Estate have been told that their store is planned for closure.

“We will endeavour to find alternative positions for as many staff as possible.”

It comes a year after the B&Q store on Mansfield’s Baum Lane closed with the loss of 35 jobs.

That store had been open for 26 years and was one of the longest serving in the town.

On that occasion, the company insisted it was because the lease on the building had expired and was not to be renewed.

The Mansfield and Mansfield Woodhouse stores are just two of 60 around Britain and Ireland that were earmarked for closure by B&Q owners, Kingfisher.

The company made the announcement in March last year after posting a 7.5 per cent drop in annual profits to £675 million.

The DIY industry has suffered in general in recent years with rivals Homebase even announcing it would close a quarter of its stores- around 80 - by 2018.